Famous Wisconsinites

Famous Wisconsinites

Famous Wisconsinites

Selected Famous Natives and Residents (alive and dead)

Richard Davis

Above: Richard Davis and Elvin Jones "Heavy Sounds" album (1967). Davis is in the foreground on the right.

Richard Davis - American jazz bassist, teacher; Richard Davis was born on April 15, 1930 in Chicago but moved to Wisconsin in 1977 and became a professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, teaching bass, jazz history, and improvisation.

Richard Davis joined the UW-Madison faculty in 1977 after spending 23 years in New York City establishing himself as one of the world’s premier bass players.

Down Beat International Critics Poll named him Best Bassist from 1967-74.
He took the same honors from that publication’s Readers Poll for seven consecutive years.